


Gravity of Love

by Aurone



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Background Shiro/Adam, Boys Kissing, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, MerMay 2018, klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2019-05-17 14:28:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14834010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurone/pseuds/Aurone
Summary: Keith, a merman, is captured by Captain Zarkon's crew.  Lance rescues Keith.  He then decides to take a chance and join Keith under the sea risking it all for the sake of love.





	1. What Did We Catch?

**Author's Note:**

> Because I need another WIP when I am already working on at least 7 other stories. But with all the wonderful art I saw for MerMay, I just couldn't help myself. Here is my contribution for MerMay even though it is technically June.

When the first mate saw what was in the net, he ran to the Captain’s cabin.

First Mate Sendak exclaimed, “Sir, we finally did it.  We got one.”

Captain Zarkon said, “Finally, let’s go see our new guest.”

The captain and the first mate went to the deck where the crew had finished hauling in their catch.

The merman flopped on the deck and yelled, “Let me go.”

Captain Zarkon replied, “Why should I?”

The merman, scowling, asked, “What do you want with me?”

Captain Zarkon replied, “You are going to make me a lot of money.”

The merman asked, “You’re. . . you’re going to sell me?”

_I’ll never see home again. Shiro. . . He’ll never. . ._

Captain Zarkon said, “Secure him to the deck.  We can’t have him getting away. Call the crew, Sendak.”

First Mate Sendak bellowed, “All hands on deck.”

Lance heard the summons but figured it didn’t apply to him since he was in the galley most of the time.

Thace said, “You had better go, boy.”

Lance looked over at the older man and said, “But sir?”

Thace said, “You are still one of the commission crew even if you work with me most of the time. You’d better get up there.”

Lance said, “Yes, sir.”

Lance dried the last dish he had been washing, and then dried his hands.  He headed up to the deck. It was complete chaos.

_What is going on?_

He first saw the red scaly fin.

_What kind of fish is that?_

And then his eyes collided with the most beautiful violet eyes that Lance had ever seen.

_Oh, My God!   It’s a merman.  They’ve caught a merman.  He is so. . . beautiful. I wish they hadn’t caught him.  They are probably going to kill him. Sell him to a museum or something._

The merman’s eyes continued to grasp onto Lance’s blue ones as the merman started to speak.

The merman said, “Please, help me.”

Lance looked at him sadly.

_I want to but I can’t.  They’ll kill me if I get caught._

The first mate addressed the crew, “As you can see, we have caught one of the legendary merpeople. You may gawk at him as you please.  But do not injure him. We want him alive when we reach port. It is up to all of you to help keep him alive and to keep him from escaping.”

“Yes, sir.” The crew answered as one.

The first mate said, “You may now return to your duties.”

The crew dispersed back to whatever they had been doing before the summons.

Lance turned to go back to the galley, but he made the mistake of looking back right into those sad eyes.

_How can I not help him?_

Lance went back to the galley and finished his work.  He helped Thace with dinner and the clean up afterwards.  After he was finished with his duties, he went up on deck. He saw that the merman was being tormented by some of the crew.

Lance thought _Ack, damn.  I was hoping he would be alone.  I wanted to talk to him._

Lance watched as the crew members tormented the poor merman. They sneered as they kicked him.

The merman said, “Please, I need some water.  Please.”

Crew Member A said, “Here, I’ll give you something to drink.”

He splashed some rum in the face of the merman who sputtered and spit the offending liquid out. Lance winced.

_Why do they have to be so mean._

Crew Member B asked, “You think it knows what it is saying?”

“Nah, it’s just parroting words.  It’s just a dumb animal.”

“You think?”

Lance thought _No, no, no.  Can’t you see?  He is as intelligent as you.  He deserves to be free. To go home._

Crewmember A said, “Doesn’t matter.  Zarkon is going to sell him as soon as we get to port and make a mint.  Maybe we will even get a bonus.”

Lance thought _Not if I can help it._

When the crewmen grew tired of tormenting the poor creature, Lance took him some water.

As Lance walked up to the merman, it spoke.

The merman said, “Please. . . please, no more.”

Lance said, “Oh, no.  I’m not going to hurt you. I. . . uh. . . brought you some water.”

Lance sat down next to the merman.  He held his head and helped him drink.  

The merman asked, “Pour the rest on my fin?  I’m drying out.”

Lance nodded and did as the merman asked.

Lance blushed and asked, “Do. . . you have a name?”

The merman replied, “I am called Keith.”

Lance replied, “Nice to meet you Keith.  My name is Lance.”

Keith tried out the human’s name, “Lance.”

The way that his name rolled out of the merman’s mouth made Lance shiver.  Lance saw some other crew members approaching.

Lance said, “I’ve got to go but I will try to come and bring you water later.”

Keith said softly, “Thank you.”

Lance nodded and scampered away before the crew members approached the merman.

_What an odd human._ Keith thought.

****

Lance was sitting on his bunk. He thought _I’ve got to get Keith out of here. How?_

He began to formulate a plan.  

_I am going to have to get him off the boat and I can’t just dump him off the side.  I really need to take him back to the cove. What if I . . ._

Lance began to execute his plan by first going down to the galley. He took a bit of food that he knew Thace wouldn’t miss.  

_I am going to have to leave, too.  I can’t stay if I release him. They’ll flog me._

He filled up a canteen with water, and put his meager possessions along with the food and water in his knapsack.

_I need to wait until everyone is asleep._

Lance sat down on his bunk to wait.  He waited until the wee hours of the morning when there was just a skeleton crew on deck.  He gathered up his knapsack and slung it on his back. He slowly and quietly went up the stairs that lead from the sleeping quarters to the deck. He hid himself in a shadow on the deck as he let his eyes adjust to the light from the slight moon above him.  He scanned the deck. There were a few men on watch but they were spread out over the deck. Lance could tell they were sleepy and that their guard was down.

One started walking his direction. Lance held his breath as the patrol passed his hiding spot.  After they passed, he let out a shaky breath.

_It’s now or never._

He stayed low, creeping slowly through the shadows towards the merman who lay still on the deck.

_Please don’t be dead.  They didn’t kill him already, did they? The Captain even said to keep him alive!_

The merman was breathing shallowly when Lance reached him.  

_I guess no one else brought him water.  He is completely dry. He looks terrible. No wonder he is in duress._

Lance took his knife and quickly cut Keith free. He look around and spotted a lifeboat.  

_I could put him in that and lower us to the water._

He looked around to see if any of the watchmen were paying attention.  When he was sure they were occupied elsewhere, he lifted the merman.

_Damn, you’re heavy, Keith. Glad I don’t have to carry you a long ways._

He carried Keith to the nearby dinghy.  He carefully laid his burden in the bottom of the boat along with his knapsack.  He then quietly lowered them to the water’s surface. He used an oar he found in the boat to row them clear of the main ship.  Once he was free of the main ship Lance heaved out a sigh.

_We are going to make it!_

Once they were a fair distance away from the ship, he used a bucket that he found in the boat to pour seawater over Keith.  The merman’s breathing got stronger and his color got better.

_That’s all I can do for him right now, and try to get him home._

Lance started rowing the boat towards Cursed Sirene Cove.

_That’s where they had to have picked him up.  I can’t believe they went in the cove to begin with.  Everyone knows you risk being cursed or worse if you go in the cove. I’ll just have to risk it. . . for his sake._

Lance had to stop ever so often to rest and re-hydrate Keith so it was early morning by the time he reached the cove. He watched the sun rise over the horizon.  

_Nearly there.  I have nearly got you home._

Lance turned his head towards a noise he heard in the boat.

_Is he trying to speak?!_

Keith said, “Please, please.  Help me.”

Lance leaned down over him and said, “I’m trying.  What can I do?”

Keith moaned, “Home, want to go home.”

Lance replied, “I think we are nearly there.  I’ve nearly got you back.”

Keith pleaded, “Please.”

Lance reached out and swept a dark lock of hair out of Keith’s face.  The merman opened his eyes and looked straight at Lance.

He grabbed Lance’s arm as he said, “Help?”

Lance shivered at the touch.

Lance soothed, “Yes, it’s alright.  I’ll have you home soon.”

He began to sing hoping to soothe him.  Keith relaxed and let go of Lance. Lance finished rowing them into the cove.

Lance said, “I hope you will be alright once I release you.  This is all I know to do for you.”

He picked Keith up in his arms and lowered him over the side of the boat to the water.

Lance said, “Please be okay.”

He kissed Keith on the forehead and then released him into the ocean.

Lance whispered, “I wish I had gotten to know more than your name.”

As Lance watched the merman sink into the depths of the ocean, he failed to notice that there was someone on the shore watching what he did with great interest.

****

Keith came back to consciousness as he felt the cool water envelope his body.  He looked around.

_I am back in the cove? One of those humans rescued me.   And brought me home. Why? I’m so tired. Maybe it was that strange human who talked to me.  His name. . . was Lance._

Keith shrugged his shoulders.

_It's not like I am ever going to see him again._

Keith slowly swam back to the mercity of Altea.  He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the cave that he and Shiro shared.  When he swam inside, he found a very agitated Shiro waiting for him.

Shiro asked, “What happened?  Where have you been? You should have been back from patrol hours ago.”

Keith replied, “I’m fine, Shiro.  I am really tired. Can we do the 3rd degree later?”

Shiro sighed and said, “Okay.  But we aren’t done discussing this.”

Keith rolled his eyes and swam to his alcove in the cave.  He laid down on the outcropping of rock that served as his bed.

_I can’t believe one of the humans helped me get free. Why?  Why would he do that?_

Keith touched his forehead.

_Did he. . . did he kiss me? Why would he do that? All I can remember are those blue eyes.  They looked like the ocean. I wish I could have thanked him somehow._

Keith shook his head.  He finally fell into a deep sleep that was haunted by blue eyes and nets.

****

Lance rowed over to the shore.  He pulled the dinghy aground. He looked into the boat to grab his knapsack and he noticed something red flashing in the bottom of the boat.  It was a scale. A beautiful dark red scale.

_Is this one of his? I wonder if he would mind if I kept it?_

He sat down next to the boat and ate a meager breakfast from the foodstuffs in his knapsack.

_What am I going to do now?  I can’t go back to sailing. Zarkon will have told the other companies what I did.  They could probably put me in jail or something. It’s a long walk back to the city, too._   

He held up the scale and looked at it flashing in the sunlight.

_So pretty. He was so pretty. And I’ll never see him again._

Lance felt his heart constrict at the thought. He drew up his knees to his chest and laid his arms on them.  

As he rested his head on his arms, he mumbled, “I wish I knew if he was alright.  I’d be better off if I could have joined him under the sea.”

A soft voice next to him said, “That can be arranged.”

Lance looked up startled to see a kind looking woman standing next to him.

Lance asked, “Who are you?”

She replied, “I’m Shay, the cove witch.”

Lance panicked, “Please don’t curse me.  I didn’t mean to be in your cove, but I had to help someone.”

Shay chuckled, “I am not going to curse you.  I saw how you rescued that merman. I use my powers to help, not curse, innocent people.”

Lance said, “Oh.”

Shay said, “Come to my cabin.  Let us speak awhile.”

Lance said, “Okay,” as he stood up.

_It’s not like I have anywhere else to go._

Lance followed the cove witch to the little cabin she had near the water.  As they entered she gestured to a empty chair that was near a simple dining table. Lance sat down, placing his knapsack on the ground. He still held the scale tightly in his hand. He looked around the simple living space. It was barely two rooms. There were herbs hanging from the ceiling.  A small cooking space. A simple bed with a chest at the end of it. She sat down across from him. She nodded at the scale in his hand.

“He must have wanted you to have that.” She commented.

Lance replied, “Huh, why?”

She said, “Merscales disappear if they aren’t given as a gift to another.”

Lance said, “But he didn’t give it to me.  It fell off in the bottom of the boat.”

Shay said, “Then he must have wanted to thank you.  Sometimes intent is enough to keep them from disappearing.”

Lance said, “Huh.”

Shay said, “Merscales are really valuable and significant to the merpeople.  Often they are only given to family or a lover. They are often worn in jewelry to show the importance of the connection.”

Shay said, “I have a mernecklace around here somewhere. Would you like it for the scale?  It will at least keep it from getting lost.”

Lance replied, “Please.”

Shay got up from the table and rummaged through a basket of items in the bedroom area.  She came back holding a odd necklace. It was a circlet on an chain.

She said, “Put the scale in the circlet, then shut and fix the closure.”

He slipped the scale into the slot.  The circlet held the scale snuggly but not so tight that it could be damaged.  He closed the fixture. The red look beautiful against the gold. He put the necklace around his neck.  The scale and circlet fit in the hollow of his throat.

“Perfect.” Shay said. “Now, let’s talk about my other offer.”

Lance looked at her curiously, “Other offer?”

Shay replied, “I can turn you into a merperson if you really want to be with him.”


	2. Part of Your World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Season 7 affected me quite a bit emotionally. So one thing I did was add Adam to this fic. There is background Adam/Shiro and it is already established. They will be happy in my fic. This is still a Klance centered fic. Hope you enjoy it.

Lance said, “What?”

Shay replied, “I can turn you into a merman.”

Lance’s eyes got wide.

He said, “Really?”

Shay said, “Yes, but there is a cost.”

Lance said, “What cost?”

Shay said, “You will lose your voice.  You won’t be able to speak.”

Lance nodded and said, “What else.”

Shay said sadly, “This is a love driven spell.  If Keith gets bound/married to someone else you will die.  But if he falls in love with you the spell will be broken. You will stay a merman but you will regain your voice.”

Lance sucked in a breath and said, “That is a high potential cost.”

Shay nodded, “It is.”

Lance thought it over for a moment.

_I’ve nothing here to stay for, but is it worth the risk?  I could die. But I could also be with Keith forever. And wouldn’t it be cool to be a merman?_

Lance said, “I’ll do it.  There is nothing here for me anyway.”

Shay said, “I’ll start the preparations.”

Lance watched her make the preparations and asked, “Have you ever done this before?”

Shay looked up and replied, “This particular spell?”

Lance nodded.

Shay shook her head and said, “No.”

Lance, a little panicked, “Then how do you know it will work?”

Shay shrugged and said, “I don’t.  I told you it was a risk. Have you changed your mind?”

Lance swallowed hard. “Nope.  I still want to do it.”

Shay nodded and continued the preparations.  Once she had everything she needed, she said, “We will probably want to do this outside in the water.  You will be too heavy for me to move once you have transformed and I have no way of knowing how the spell will affect your body.”

Lance nodded.  He sorted through his belongings.  There was nothing he would miss. He left them all there on Shay’s table. He touched the necklace around his throat and followed Shay outside. Lance started to wade out into the water.  

Shay cleared her throat and said, “You may want to disrobe?  I don’t know how clothes would interact with the spell, and I’d hate for them to get fused to your body.”

Lance blushed and stepped back onto the shore.  He stripped leaving his clothes folded on the shore.  He waded out into cove until the water reached his knees. He shivered from the chill in the water as Shay started the spell.  Lance heard the incantation as the water around him started to glow. Suddenly, he was hit with a wave of unimaginable pain. Lance started screaming. He could feel his bones breaking and rearranging.  He looked down to see his right and left femurs and tibias merging with each other, and the muscle rippling around them to create the tail he was going to need.

_Oh God, I am going to die.  It hurts. Please make it stop. . . please._

The pain finally hit a threshold that caused Lance to pass out.  He slipped into the water below him. Shay scrambled towards the boy, unsure if his gills had already formed.  She held his head above water.

_It wouldn’t do for him to drown while becoming a merperson. I am glad he passed out, though.  He was in a lot of pain._

Shay watched as his body rearranged itself.  She gasped as she watched Lance’s legs become enveloped in blue scales.

_Even his musculature has changed._

She watched as gills were created in his neck.

_This is a fascinating process.  I’ll have to make some notes about this for the book.  I’ll definitely suggest knocking out future subjects before starting the process._

When the process was completed, Shay had before her a merperson whose body was shaking with stress and strain.  She let him rest in the shallows of the cove while she went to get her summoning shell.

_I should call Matt up here.  He’ll know what to do with this newly formed merperson.  Lance will definitely need some help adjusting to his new life._

She activated the summoning spell.  She sat near Lance keeping an eye on him while she waited for Matt.

***

Matt was getting his traveling bag together when he received the summons.

_What the Hell does Shay want?  I don’t have time for this today.  I told Georgi I would be at his cove by the end of the week which means I need to leave soon and I still don’t have everything together.  Adam should be here any minute to escort me as well._

Matt sighed.

_She never summons me unless it’s important.  I’d better go and see what she wants._

He passed his sister as he left his cave.

Matt said, “Pidge, I am going to see Shay.  She left a summons and I need to see what’s going on.  If Adam gets here before I get back tell him that I am sorry and to wait.”

Pidge nodded and said, “Will do.  See you when you get back.”

Matt swam towards Shay’s cove.  When he arrived, he saw Shay sitting next to a merperson who was out cold.  Matt looked at the mer but didn’t recognize him.

Matt asked, “Who have you got there?”

Shay, startled at his voice, jumped but then answered, “Lance.  He was a human until a few moments ago.”

Matt, not believing his ears, said, “What?”

Shay said, “I turned a human into a merperson.”

Matt swam over to where Lance was lying.  He touched the boys’ tail. It was a very intimate gesture, but the boy wouldn’t know that yet.  It was real and solid beneath his fingers.

Matt asked, “How?  Why?”

Shay replied, “I used the spell?”

Matt said, “Why, why would you do that? You know the risks for the transformation.”

Shay shrugged and said, “So did he.  He ruined his life rescuing one of you.  He has nothing here now.”

Matt said, “What?  Who?”

Shay replied, “The red finned one.”

Matt sighed and said, “Keith?  He fell in love with Keith!? Boy is good as dead.  Talk about a hard case. I don’t think he even likes anyone besides his brother.”

Shay shrugged and asked, “Can you take him under your wing?  Teach him how to mer?”

Matt replied, “This is a really bad time.  I am headed out to see Georgi, but I guess I could leave him with Pidge.”

Shay nodded.  

Matt asked, “Anything else I should know?”

Shay said, “Just that he can’t speak.  And if Keith mates with someone, Lance will die.”

Matt said, “I’ll take care of him.  I hope you satisfied whatever curiosity you had and that he doesn’t pay the price for it.”

Shay looked taken aback at Matt’s words.

_I thought I was helping Lance.  Now, granted, I did want to see what the spell was capable of. . . but. . ._

She watched as Matt gathered Lance up and swam back to whatever depths the merpeople lived in.

****

_Gods, he’s heavy.  He’ll probably be sore tomorrow.  I can’t imagine that that kind of rearrangement would be easy on the body. We are going to have to find him a cave to live in.  He can’t stay in ours. But Pidge can help with that._

Matt made it to his cave.  Pidge looked up when he swam in.

“Who is that?” She asked.

Matt replied, “His name is Lance.  He is a stupid human who underwent the transformation.”

Pidge exclaimed, “It actually works?”

Matt replied, “Evidently.”

Pidge asked, “Are you still leaving?”

Matt replied, “I have to.  It was hard enough to arrange this meeting with Georgi in the first place.  You’ll have to help Lance. Find him a place to live. Teach him how to be a part of our world.  Oh, and he can’t talk.”

Pidge nodded and said, “I am familiar with the spell.  Who did he fall for?”

Matt sighed and said, “Keith.”

Pidge laughed and said, “For real?  Poor soul.”

Matt said, “He evidently risked his life to save him from a poaching boat and ruined his life in the process.”

Pidge stopped laughing and said, “Wow.  He rescued one of us. Whelp. Now I have to help him, huh.”

Matt nodded and reiterated, “He can’t live with us.  Find him a place to live and teach him our culture. We’ll worry about the rest later.  Hopefully he will wake up soon. Be gentle, Pidge. He’ll probably be disoriented.”

Pidge nodded and watched as Matt finished getting his gear together.

She heard another mer knock outside their cave.

Matt said, “That will be Adam.  He is my escort for this trip. I have to go now.  I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Pidge hugged her brother and said, “Swim safe.”

He replied, “I will.”

Pidge watched him swim out of their cave.  She then looked back at the trouble that Matt had brought into their cave.

_What am I going to do with you?_

_*****_

Lance woke slowly.  He looked around the room he seemed to be sleeping in.

_Where am I?  Wait. I am underwater.  How I am not drowning!!_

Lance panicked for a moment before the previous day came back to him.  Water was churning fitfully around him.

_It worked?_

He looked down at his legs, catching sight of his tail.  He thought, _IT WORKED!!_

He swam upright and hit his head on the the ceiling of the cave.  He grunted in pain which caught the attention of the other occupant of the cave.

She said, “Oh, you are awake.”

Lance opened his mouth to reply, and then remembered that he couldn’t speak.

Pidge said, “Yes, I know.  You can’t speak. Your name is Lance and you used to be human.”

Lance looked at her questioningly.

_How does she know?_

Pidge continued, “My brother is a mage and is friends with Shay.  She had him come get you after the transformation and told him everything.  He had to leave on a trip and left you in my care instead.”

Lance nodded.

Pidge asked, “How do you feel?  Anything hurt?”

Lance thought, _For what I have been through, I feel pretty good.  A little sore but okay._

He shook his head.

Pidge said, “Good.  We were afraid you might be permanently injured considering that was a large transformation to go through.  The first thing we need to do is find you somewhere to stay. You can’t stay here. It’s not big enough for three mers.”

Lance looked sad.

Pidge said, “Sorry, Matt said you couldn’t stay here.”

Pidge thought for a minute.

_Who can he stay with that I can tell all this stuff to and trust that he will take care of this loser?_

_Hunk?!_

Pidge said, “I think I know just the roommate for you.”

Pidge showed Lance how to move his tail, and he practiced swimming around her cave.  When he was sufficiently mobile, she and Lance swam towards a cave that was across the way from Matt’s and her’s home.

Pidge said, “My friend, Hunk, lives here.  It’s a two person cave, but he lives alone.  He’s a great guy, and we can get him to help you as well.”

Lance looked hopeful.

Pidge knocked on the outside of Hunk’s cave.

A voice called from inside, “Come in.”

Pidge and Lance swam inside the cave.

Hunk lit up when he saw his friend and said, “Hi, Pidge.  Who you got there?”

Pidge said, “This is Lance.”

Hunk asked, “Where is he from?”

Pidge smiled as she answered, “He is a human.  A mage transformed him yesterday.”

Hunk said, “Wait.  What?! You are joking, right?  That’s a good one Pidge. Haha. You almost had me there.”

Pidge said, “No, really Hunk.  He is under a spell.”

Hunk said, “Why would he do that?  It’s crazy.”

Lance looked sadly down at the floor.

Hunk said, “Oh man.  I am sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant why. . . ?”

Pidge said, “He fell in love.”

Hunk asked, “With whom?”

Pidge grinned and said, “Keith.”

Hunk grimaced and replied, “Oh man, that’s tough.”

Lance looked up with sad eyes.

Hunk said, “Don’t look at me like that, man.  I’ll help you all I can but Keith is a hard fish to catch.”

Pidge said, “Well, first he needs a place to live and help learning how to mer.”

Hunk nodded and said, “He can certainly live with me and I will gladly help him learn how to be the best merperson ever!”

Pidge smiled and said, “I was hoping you would say that.”

Lance just smiled brightly at his new friends.

_This is already going much better than I would have thought.  But I would really like to see Keith._


	3. Hopeless to Hopeful

_ It’s hopeless _ .  

Instead of moving gracefully through the water, Lance felt the water swirl around him as he went nowhere. 

_ I’ve watched Hunk do this like a million times but I just can’t seem to get my fins to twist like that.  _

Lance let his body sink to the floor of the ocean in defeat. 

_ I am never going to be able to figure out the nuances of this swimming thing.  How do they do it? They are all so graceful and make it look so easy.  _

Hunk could see the frustration on Lance’s face. 

Hunk said, “You’ll get it eventually, buddy.  I mean we’ve had our whole lives to figure this out.  You’ve had a few days.”

Lance shrugged and looked sadly at Hunk. 

Hunk said, “Are you sorry that you came here?”

Lance shook his head. 

Hunk asked, “Are you upset that you haven’t seen Keith yet?”

Lance slowly nodded. 

Hunk said, “Well, then let’s go over to his cave and see if he is around.  We could say hi?”

Lance started shaking his head vehemently. 

Hunk said, “Come on.  You've got to see him eventually, right?  No time like the present.”

Lance shook his head again, his eyes getting a wild and panicked look in them. 

_ No.  I’m not ready for that yet. _

Hunk grabbed Lance’s hand and pulled him towards the palace.  There was a set of caves near the palace where many of the palace guards lived. As they swam up to the caves, they could see Shiro leaving his cave.  Lance’s eyes got wider as he saw Keith through the door of the same cave. Lance saw Keith wave to Shiro as the guard left for his shift at the palace. 

_ They live together?  He already has someone?  I’m doomed. Why didn’t Hunk tell me? Why did I do this? _

Lance pulled free of Hunk and darted away.  

Hunk said, “Wait. . . they are . . . ”

Hunk sighed as he turned to follow the new Mer.

_ At least he is not very fast.  It won’t take me too long to catch up. _

Lance swam a distance away from the caves.  He found a convenient rock to sit on. He covered his face with his hands. His face crumpled as he felt tears merge into the water around his face. 

_ I can’t bear to watch them anymore.  I’ve. . . I’ve been such a fool and now I am going to die.  _

He heard someone swim up to him. He looked up to see Hunk looking kindly down on him.  Hunk sat down next to him on the rock. 

Hunk said, “You should have let me explain.”

Lance looked up at him.  Hunk could see that the merman had been crying. Hunk leaned over and hugged his new friend. 

Hunk continued, “They are brothers.  They share a cave because they are related.”

Lance looked at Hunk with such a hopeful expression that it killed the man’s soul.

_ Keith is such a. . . how is this going to be okay? I don’t know how Lance even got his scale. That in of itself is a miracle.  _

Hunk said, “If you had stuck around we could have said hi to Keith.”

Lance looked at Hunk with an expression that conveyed “You should have told me earlier.”

Hunk replied, “Yeah, I know.  My bad. I didn’t even think about how it would look until we got there.” 

Lance raised his eyebrows.

Hunk said, “We can go back but Keith probably won’t come out again.  He tends to be reclusive, especially when Shiro is in a bad mood.”

Lance looked quizzically at Hunk.

Hunk said, “Shiro’s mate, Adam, is gone on a trip.  He went with Pidge’s brother to the neighboring kingdom.  Matt had an appointment with the shaman of that clan to discuss different magics.  He will be gone awhile and it always makes Shiro antsy. I’d stay out of his path if I were you.”

Lance nodded. They swam back towards Hunk’s cave. 

When they got there, Hunk said, “I have a few tasks I need to do.  Do you want to come watch me work or do you want to swim around a bit?”

Lance indicated with his hands that he would swim around a bit.  

_ I need to practice anyways.  _

Lance was getting ready to take off and explore when Hunk said, “Wait a minute.  I’ve got something that needs to go to Coran, the royal advisor. Could you take it to him for me?”

Lance nodded.

Hunk said, “Thanks, buddy.  That will help me alot.”

Hunk gave Lance the item and said, “Swim towards the palace.  You can see it there, right?” 

Hunk pointed to the glittering palace that they could see on the horizon. 

Lance nodded.  

Hunk continued, “Once you get inside, Coran should be in his office.”

Hunk thought for a second.  He went back inside the cave and came out with an interesting looking rock. Lance raised his eyebrows in question.

Hunk said, “It’s a writing rock.  We can put a few words on it and it will stay for awhile.”

Hunk wrote “looking for Coran” on the rock and handed it to Lance. 

He said, “If you can’t find Coran, show this to someone in the palace and they should be able to help you, okay? And use this one if someone asks you a question.”

Lance nodded and took the rocks and the gadget from Hunk.  He put them in the bag that Pidge had given him to carry stuff.  Lance waved at Hunk as he took off towards the palace. 

_ I hope he’ll be okay.  _

As Lance swam towards the palace, he thought  _ This whole not talking thing is harder than I thought.  How am I going to woo Keith if I can’t talk to him? How will I tell him who I am? _

Lance got the palace with no trouble.  Once inside, he showed the rock to a couple of guards in the hallway.  They pointed him in the right direction to find Coran. He was in his workroom.  Lance swam to the room and knocked on the door. 

Coran said, “Enter.”

Lance opened the door and swam inside.

Coran looked at Lance and said, “I don’t believe we’ve met.  And I thought I knew all of the Kingdom’s residents.” 

Lance showed Coran the second rock that Hunk had given him. 

It said, “My name is Lance.  I can’t talk. Hunk asked me to bring you this.”

After Coran read the rock, Lance handed him the gadget that Hunk had given him. 

Coran said, “Well, Lance.  My name is Coran as you probably already know. Can’t talk, hmm?  Wonder what happened to your voice? Well, I guess you can’t tell me.  I’ll ask Hunk later. Thank you for bringing me this, my boy. It was the piece I was needing for my current project. And nice to meet you, Lance.  Hope to see you again soon.”

Lance nodded and waved as he left Coran’s workroom.  He ran right into the last person he wanted to see, Shiro. Shiro put out a hand to steady the merman.  Shiro then looked at the mer he had run into, really looked at him. 

He said, “I don’t know you.  Where did you come from, and why are you here?” 

When Lance didn’t answer he shook the mer a little and said, “Answer me.” 

Lance’s eyes got wide and the muscle in his neck popped out as Shiro shook him.  The movement caused the necklace that Lance was wearing to move in the current, and it caught Shiro’s eye. 

He said, “That’s my brother’s scale.  Where did you get my brother’s scale. Answer me, Dammit.”

Lance closed his eyes in terror.

_ This is how I die. _

He felt a hand close around his neck.  

_ Is he going to choke me to death? Break my neck? I wish I could have seen Keith one last time.  _

And then he felt himself being moved down the hallway.  

_ Where is he taking me? What did I do? Why is he so upset that I have Keith’s scale?  No one ever told me what it meant. _

Shiro pulled Lance along through the hallways of the palace until they exited the palace and were moving towards his cave. When Lance realized where they were going, he started to thrash about trying to get away. His weak movements had no chance of dislodging Shiro. 

_ This is  _ **_not_ ** _ how I wanted to see Keith again!  _

Shiro held on tight to the mer and wrestled him to the entrance of his cave. 

Shiro bellowed, “Keith!  Get out here right now.”

In a few moments, Keith came out of the cave. 

Keith sighed and said, “What’s the matter now?”

He looked in surprise at the mer who was thrashing around in Shiro’s hold.

_ That looks like it hurts.  _

Keith said, “Shiro, what the Hell?  You are hurting him.”

Keith moved to pry the mer lose from his brother.

_ Has he lost his mind? _

Shiro pulled away from Keith and gritted out, “Why does he have your scale around his neck?”

Keith paused, looked in surprise at Shiro, and said, “What?”

Shiro said, “Your scale is around his neck.  Why? When? Is there something you want to tell me, little brother?”

Keith looked at Lance in confusion. 

_ I haven’t even lost a scale lately, except. . .  That human should have it. The one that saved me. How did it end up here? _

Then he looked at Lance.  Really looked at him and recognized the blue eyes of his savior.

_ Well, damn. How did he?  I don’t even want to know.  Well, I can’t let Shiro kill him.  I doubt he even knows what it means to wear a scale that way.  Where’d he even get a necklace like that? Got a feeling Pidge and her brother have something to do with this. _

Keith said, “We’re dating, of course.  Why else would he have my scale. Now let my boyfriend go, Shiro.”

Lance’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at Keith’s words. 

Shiro said, “Why didn’t you tell me, and why haven’t I seen him before?  I know everyone from this kingdom.”

Keith said, “Uh. . . he is from another kingdom?”

Shiro said, “I’m not an idiot.”

Keith said, “I didn’t say you were.”

Shiro turned to Lance and asked, “Where are you from?”

Lance just looked at Shiro. 

Shiro shook Lance again, “Dammit, why won’t you answer me?”

Keith looked at Lance and could see that he was terrified.  He was going to have bruises where Shiro had gripped his neck.

Keith said again, “Release him, brother.  My boyfriend hasn’t done anything wrong and you are hurting him.”

Shiro growled, “Not until he tells me who he is and where he is from.”

Keith saw the rock that Lance had dropped when Shiro shook him the last time. 

_ He can’t speak.  But. . . he sang to me the other day.  _

Keith sighed and said, “He is mute, Shiro.  You’ve terrified him because of something he literally cannot do.”

Shiro looked at Lance and asked, “Is that right?  Can you not speak?”

Lance shook his head. Shiro released him, throwing him nearly into Keith. Keith easily caught the mer and placed Lance behind him. 

Keith said, “Stop being a bully, Shiro.  You’re supposed to protect people, not harm them. I’m sorry Adam’s gone for awhile but that doesn’t mean you should take it out on the rest of us.”

Shiro took a deep breath and said, “You. . . you are right Keith.  I just saw the scale and lost it.”

Keith said, “I was going to tell you, but it’s just so . . .”

Shiro nodded and said, “I understand.”

Shiro looked at Lance who was still cowering behind Keith and said, “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean. . . I just lost my cool. Can you forgive me?”

Lance nodded, but didn’t move from behind Keith.  

Keith said, “Why don’t you go back to work, Shiro.  I’ll stay here and calm down my  _ boyfriend.” _

Shiro nodded and said, “See you this evening.  You can tell me all about this when I get home tonight.”

Keith said, “Okay.  See you tonight, brother.”

_ Great I need to figure something out before Shiro gets home.  _

Once Shiro was out of sight, Keith turned to Lance and said, “What the Hell did you do?”

Lance just looked at Keith. 

Keith said, “Right, you can’t tell me. But you can answer yes and no questions, right?”

Lance nodded eagerly. 

Keith said, “Okay.  Are you the human that rescued me a couple of days ago?”

Lance nodded shyly. 

Keith thought  _ Well, that’s different.  I wonder how he got here. _

Keith asked, “Is the form you are in permanent.”

Lance nodded.

Keith asked, “Did you come here because of me?”

Lance hesitantly nodded. 

Keith ran his hands down his face.

_ I was hoping he was gonna say no.  I can’t be responsible for whatever this is. Why would he come here for me? _

Keith asked, “Did you find that scale in the boat after I left?”

Lance nodded. 

Keith mused, “I wonder where you got the necklace.  Did anyone tell you what it meant to wear a scale like that?”

Lance shook his head. 

Keith said, “Great.”

Lance looked at him questionly.  

Keith sighed and said, “How do I even. . .”

He looked at Lance who was watching him with a curious expression.

Keith said, “Wearing someone’s scales is significant in our society.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. 

_ No shit.  I figured that out when Shiro nearly killed me over wearing yours.  _

Keith continued, “You wear the scales of your family and of your significant other or mate.”

Lance looked surprised. 

Keith said, “When we lose scales, they dissolve unless we gift them to someone. That’s why only family has them. You and Shiro are the only ones who have one of mine. 

Lance blushed. 

Keith continued, “Where on the body you wear the scale is significant too.  If you wear your family’s scales, it’s always on a bracelet. Sometimes close friends, too.  See, like this.”

He held up his wrist to show Lance his bracelet that had Shiro’s and Pidge’s scales in it. 

Lance touched the bracelet and then touched his necklace.

Keith said, “Right.  Necklaces are different. You can also wear your boyfriend/girlfriend’s scale on a bracelet.  That would mean the relationship is serious, but new. That you not quite committed to forever.”

Keith coughed and continued, “But if you wear it on a necklace like yours, then it means it’s really serious, like mates serious.”

Lance thought  _ does he mean like marriage serious? Jesus.  What have I done? Why didn’t anyone tell me? _

Lance’s eyes got wide.  

Keith took one look at his panicked face and said, “It’s okay.  We’ll figure it out. No one told you what it meant, did they?”

Lance shook his head. Keith placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder. 

Keith said, “We are going to have to make a show of dating, at least for awhile to get Shiro off our tails.  Are you okay with that?”

Lance thought  _ I am more than okay with that.  _

He nodded in agreement. 

Keith said, “We are going to have to kiss and stuff. I am going to need one of your scales too.”

Lance just shrugged his shoulders. 

Keith shook his head and said, “You’re really okay with this.”

Lance just smiled in response. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NaNoWriMo seems to be working in my favor. I have been writing alot and updating quite a few fics. Come say hi on tumblr @auronvardell.


	4. Let's Play Pretend

Keith motioned for Lance to enter his cave.  

He said, “We need to make some plans for this charade.  What we are willing to do and what lines we aren’t willing to cross.  We have to make it look good for awhile, then we can stage some kind of breakup and be free of this mess.”

Lance looked a little sad at the thought of “breaking up” with Keith. Keith misinterpreted the look and said, “Hey, I am not that bad to be around.”

Lance shook his head and started gesturing with his hands.

_ I didn’t mean it like that.   _

Keith chuckled and said, “Calm down.  It’s okay. I appreciate you helping me the other day.  Did it cost you, your place?”

Lance thought  _ He means on the ship. _

Lance nodded. 

Keith said, “I’m sorry.”

Lance shook his head and smiled.

_ I would do it again.  _

Keith asked, “Are you okay with kissing?”

Lance nodded. 

Keith said, “We should probably practice so it will seem like we have been doing it awhile.”

_ Oh God, yes please. _

Lance nodded. 

Keith slipped his hands around Lance’s waist. He pulled the merman closer to him. He moved one hand to the back of Lance’s neck and then drew him down into a kiss.

Lance closed his eyes as he felt electricity spark through his body.  He lost his breath and was gasping when Keith let him go. Keith looked stunned. 

Keith said, “Um. . . okay. . . maybe we could try that again?”

Lance blushed. 

_ Oh wow. Yes. Again please.  _

Keith moved to kiss Lance again when someone cleared their throat behind him. 

Pidge said, “Something I should know about?”

Keith sighed and Lance huffed in disappointment.  

Keith said, “Shiro saw the scale that Lance was wearing and realized it was mine.”

Pidge innocently said, “Oh, I forgot to mention to Lance what that meant.”

Keith said, “I am sure you did.  Just slipped your mind, huh?”

Pidge just smiled and asked, “Did Shiro flip out?”

Lance gestured wildly while Keith said, “I thought he was gonna kill Lance there for a second.”

_ Me too. _

Pidge said, “I forgot how grumpy he gets when Adam is away.  You do know that you are probably going to have to move in together if you are going to sell this relationship thing to Shiro.”

Keith said, “Fuck.”

Pidge said, “Besides, he came here because of you.  You should be the one to take care of him until he can figure out how to take care of himself.”

Keith furrowed his brow and asked, “Who has been taking care of you up to this point?”

_ And why didn’t you come to me, first? _

Lance pointed towards Hunk’s cave. 

Keith asked, “Hunk?”

Lance nodded.

_ Hunk, huh?  He’s a good guy.  So why do I suddenly want to throttle him?  I can’t be. . .  _

Keith said, “Unfortunately, Pidge is right.  We are going to have to find our own cave. I am not as good as Hunk at taking care of people. . . but would. . .”

Lance eagerly nodded. 

Keith asked, “Pidge, do you know of any empty caves?”

Pidge said, “I know of two close to here.  One is right next to this one.”

Lance thought  _ Bad idea.  Abort. _

Keith shook his head and said, “That would just be inviting trouble.”

Pidge nodded in agreement and said, “The other is out next to Matt’s and mine.” 

Keith said, “That’s perfect.  Not so far away that Shiro will worry and hover but far enough away that we will have some privacy.  Let’s go take a look at it.”

Pidge said, “Follow me.”

Pidge led them to the cave in question.  It was a little dingy since nobody had been living there.  

Keith said, “It has two living alcoves and a common room.  Perfect. It needs a little cleaning, but then it should be good to go.”

Pidge asked, “Did you want to fix it up today?”

Keith said, “Yeah, the sooner we start this mess the sooner we can get it sorted out.”

Lance looked a little sad at the sorting out part.  Pidge caught his expression before he schooled it.

_ Keith is an idiot.  _ Pidge thought.   _ How in Tritan’s tail could he miss how gone Lance is on him?  Well, maybe this will give Lance a shot. _

Pidge said, “I’ll go get Hunk and we will help you two get this place in shape and get you moved.”

Keith nodded and said, “Thanks.”

_ Wonder what she is up to? _

Lance nodded in agreement. 

_ I am going to get to live with Keith, for awhile at least.  But then what?  _

Keith said, “I am going back to my cave for some cleaning supplies.  Do you want to come with?”

Lance nodded and followed Keith to Shiro’s and Adam’s cave.  Keith picked up some cleaning supplies that Adam always kept.  Pidge and Hunk weren’t back yet when they got back to the cave. Lance and Keith started cleaning. They scraped barnacles off the walls and chased out an octopus that had made the cave its home.  About that time, Pidge and Hunk showed back up.

Pidge said, “Sorry it took us so long.  I had to make a pit stop for this.”

She held up a necklace much like the one that Lance was wearing. 

Pidge said, “If we are going to make people believe that you two are engaged, you need to wear the necklace too, Keith.”

Keith sighed and said, “You’re right.”

He took the necklace from Pidge. 

He looked at Lance and said, “I am going to need one of your scales.”

Lance nodded and began to reach down to pry one off his body.

Hunk said, “No! Not that way.  It’ll hurt.”

Lance looked sheepishly at Hunk and spread out his arms to indicate “then how.”

Hunk looked at Keith. Keith blushed and looked away. 

Pidge said, “Oh, for crying out loud.  He needs to run his hand down your tail, Lance.”

Lance looked skeptical at Pidge.

Pidge said, “It’s considered to be a very intimate act in our culture which is why these two are flipping out.”

Hunk and Keith blushed harder. 

Lance swept his hand in a gesture of go ahead down the length of his tail. 

Keith sputtered. 

_ How can. . . but he is not part of culture and has no idea how sexual this is.  _

Lance smiled at Keith’s reaction.

_ He is so cute. Especially when he is embarrassed. _

Keith swam closer to Lance.  

He asked, “Are you sure?”

Lance nodded. Keith slowly ran his hand along Lance’s tail.  Lance shuddered at the contact. 

_ Oh. . .now I get it. _

One bright blue scale popped off Lance’s tail into Keith’s hand. 

_ It's so pretty.   _ Keith thought.   _ Just like him.  _

Keith put the scale in the necklace and handed it Lance. 

Lance looked at Keith with a question on his face.

Keith explain, “You are supposed to put it on me.  It’s sort of part of the engagement process.” 

Lance nodded and Keith turned around. Lance draped the necklace around Keith’s neck and fastened it in the back.  Keith shivered when the cool metal hit his skin.

_ I never thought. . . that I would get to wear a necklace.  I never thought that anyone would want me. And he doesn’t.  Not really. This is just a farce until we can set Shiro straight. But if it were real. . . _

Keith felt tears prick around the ridges of his eyes. 

_ Thank the Gods that we can’t see anyone cry.  _

Hunk cleared his throat which shook Keith out of his thoughts. Lance was looking at him questioningly.

_ I wonder what he was thinking about.  _

Keith said, “Now that’s done.  Let’s finish cleaning this place up.”  The other three nodded and followed Keith back into the cave. It took the three of them several hours, but they finally got the cave into living condition.  

Hunk said, “You’ll need a mattress for the bed.  And a table for the living space.”

Keith said, “The bed?  But there is two, right?”

Pidge said, “Yep.  But everyone will expect you and Lance to be rooming together in the back master bedroom just like Shiro and Adam do in their cave.”

Keith said, “Oh.  I didn’t think of that.”

Lance thought  _ I didn’t either.   _

Pidge looked at both boys panicked looks and thought  _ this is going to be more fun than I originally thought.  _

Hunk said, ‘It’s getting late.  You should probably wait until tomorrow to move in.”

Pidge, looking at Keith, said, “Yeah, I don’t think Shiro would take it well if you just moved out today without telling him first.”

Keith said, “You have a point.  He was really stressed today.”

Lance just looked at both of them.

_ Stressed?! Are you kidding me?  He nearly killed me! _

Pidged laughed at the look on Lance’s face. 

Keith said, “Oh, I am sorry for how he acted earlier.”

Lance just shrugged his shoulders.

Pidge said, “Well, kiss you boyfriend goodbye and let’s going, shall we.”

Keith looked a little startled.

Hunk said, “She’s right.  If you are going to sell this to anyone much less Shiro then you are going to have to act like you are dating.”

Lance swam into Keith’s personal space.  He reached out and put his hand behind Keith’s neck.

_ What would I give to run my fingers through his hair.  Maybe. . . no don’t think about it. _

He brought Keith’s lips to his in a soft affectionate kiss.  He put into the kiss everything he couldn’t say. When he pulled back, Keith tipped his head like he was going to follow Lance’s lips but stopped when he remembered they had an audience. 

Keith said, “See you tomorrow?”

Lance nodded. 

Hunk said, “Let’s go, Lance.  It’s getting dark and I don’t like to be out after dark.  Too many predators.”

Lance look longingly at Keith one last time and followed Hunk back to the cave he had been sharing with the mer.

Pidge just watched Keith watching Lance leave. 

She whistled and said, “Someone’s got it bad.”

Keith whipped around and said, “What are you talking about?”

Pidge laughed and said, “I think you wish this wasn’t a ‘fake relationship.’”

Keith sighed and said, “What are you talking about?”

Pidge said, “It’s just the way you look at him and watched him leave.  No one has ever been interested in you, have they?”

Keith said, “Romantically?  No. And he is not either.”

Pidge arched an eyebrow and said, “And how do you know he isn’t?”

Keith shrugged and said, “Why would he be?  What could a human see in a lame mer like me?  There are so many better mers here that he could choose from.”

Pidge pinched the bridge of her nose and said, “You do know he came here for you? And that the process he had to go through wasn’t easy, right?”

Keith said, “Doesn’t mean he has to stick with me now that he is here.”

Pidge thought  _ he sort of does but I don’t think Lance would be interested in anyone else either way.  _

Pidge said, “You are hopeless.”

Keith said, “Let’s go home.”

Pidge nodded and they swam back towards their respective caves. 

Shiro was already there when Keith got back.

Shiro asked, “Where have you been?”

Keith said, “Not that it’s any of your business, but. . .”

Shiro said, “It is as long as you live with me.”

Keith retorted, “Then you won’t have to worry about it much longer.”

Shiro said, “What?!”

Keith said, “As I was trying to tell you before, Lance and I found a cave.  We are going to move in together tomorrow. So I won’t be under your tail anymore.  You won’t have to worry about me.”

Keith swam to his part of the cave and began to pack his things.

_ What am I going to do when Lance and I call this off?  Maybe we can be roommates until he finds someone else. Maybe . . . no there is no way.  Why would he like someone like me? But I am not going to be able to move back in with Shiro after this.  _

Shiro knocked on his alcove a few minutes later.

Keith said, “Yes?”

Shiro said, “I. . . sorry.  You are right you are old enough to figure out your own life. I. . . just.  It’s so sudden.”

Keith just shrugged.  He turned towards Shiro.  Shiros eyes got wide as he spotted the necklace around his brother’s throat.  Shiro swam forward and touched the piece of jewelry. 

Shiro said, “I didn’t really. . . I’ve never seen you get close to anyone besides me.”

Keith (still mad) spat, “Jealous?”

Shiro said, “What?! No.  I just want to make sure you are okay.”

Keith said, “Lance is different.  He won’t hurt me _.” _

_ On purpose. _

Shiro said, “You can always come home if you need to.  You know if this doesn’t work out.”

Keith nodded and looked away from Shiro so he couldn’t see the sadness in his eyes.

Shiro sighed and said, “I am going to fix dinner while you finish packing.  Adam is going to be mad that you moved out while he was gone. He would have wanted to fuss over all of this.”

Keith snickered and said, “Maybe that’s why we waited until he left. Besides he can still fuss when he gets back.”

_ If we are still together that is.  _

Shiro smiled as he left Keith’s alcove and went to fix them some dinner. Keith sat down on his bed.  Putting his head in his hands, he groaned.

_ What am I doing? I don’t even know this boy!  This is going to end badly, I just know it.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	5. Playing House

The Next Morning. . .

 

Shiro was standing at the entrance to his cave about to leave for his shift at the palace. 

He watched as Keith gathered his things and put them into a sack. 

_ Adam is going to kill me when he gets back for letting Keith move out without him being here.  _

Shiro said, “Keith, don’t forget you have the afternoon shift today.  Don’t be late.”

Keith, rolling his eyes, said, “Yes, Dad. I’ll be on time.  I promise.”

Shiro chuckled and asked, “When are you meeting Lance?”

Keith said, “Right after you leave.  We want to get settled in this morning before I go to work.”

Shiro nodded and said, “Good luck.”

Keith said, “Thanks.”

Keith watched as Shiro left.

_ It feels weird that this will be the last time I watch him leave from here.  It is the last time I’ll call this place home. I wish I was moving in with Lance for real.  _

Keith sighed and picked up his bag. 

_ I don’t have much, but then again Lance doesn’t have anything.  We’ll manage somehow.  _

He swam towards the cave that he would be sharing with Lance.  Lance was already there when Keith arrived. He was facing away from Keith when he swam up, listening to something Hunk was telling him. 

Keith said, “Hey, Lance.” when he swam up to the cave. 

Lance turned around and he face lit up when he saw Keith.  Hunk chuckled watching the exchange. 

He said, “Since I know neither of you have anything, I brought a mattress net for the both of you. We just need to go out and find seaweed to fill it with.”

Keith said, “Thanks. I am not sure we could have woven one by ourselves.”

Hunk said, “Lance and I did it yesterday evening so you wouldn’t have to worry about it today.”

Keith asked, “You helped?”

Lance nodded, proud of his accomplishment. 

Hunk said, “He caught on real quick, too.”

Keith said, “Well, he was a sailor, right?  He’s probably made nets before.”

Lance nodded.

Keith said, “Well, it’s a good thing that it was made last night.  I have the afternoon shift at the palace today, so we don’t have as long as I would like for us to settle in.”

Lance, looking sad, nodded.

Hunk said, “I know a great seaweed bed not too far from here.  It has a variety of types so we can get more weaving seaweed, some stuffing seaweed, and some for snacking.”

Lance looked excited and Keith nodded.

Keith said, “Lead the way.”

All three mers grabbed their carry bags and swam towards the seaweed bed. When they got to the seaweed bed, Hunk spent some time showing Lance the differences between the different types of seaweed.

He pointed to a small dark green one and said, “This one we can eat. It makes a great snack.”  

Lance nodded and gathered some into his bag.

Keith, wanting to help and maybe grab Lance’s attention, said, “This is the type for bedding.” He was pointing to a wide light green seaweed.

Keith said, “It’s soft but hard to knot so it gets used as the mattress stuffing.”

Lance nodded.  He touched the seaweed and then looked at Keith. Keith blushed and both boys gathered some of the seaweed for their bed. 

Hunk said, “And lastly, this type is the type for making nets and bags and such.  It can be woven into many things. I should teach you how to make some stuff and you could trade it to other mers for food and other goods.”

Lance nodded emphatically.

_ I want to be useful.  I don’t want Keith to have to do all the work for us.  _

Keith frowned at the mentioning of Hunk spending even more time with Lance. 

_ They are getting along a little too well. I wish he would spend less time with him, not more.  What? What’s wrong with me? They are just friends, right? I need to stop this way of thinking right now.  I don’t own Lance. He needs friends too.  _

Hunk watched the emotions run across Keith’s face. 

_ I think Lance has a better chance than he thinks.  _

The boys gathered enough of the rope seaweed that Lance could practice making some items for barter, and then they headed back towards Keith’s and Lance’s cave. When they made it back to the cave, Hunk and Keith showed Lance how to stuff the mattress. 

Hunk said, “I know of a couple of mers who need new bedding but haven’t had the time to make a new one.  Why don’t you work on another bed while Keith is gone to work? When you get it finished we can go barter with them for stuff.”

Lance nodded.

When the mattress was sufficiently stuffed and placed on their sleeping ledge, Hunk said, “I am going to go and let you two settle in before Keith has to leave on shift.  See you later, Lance.”

Lance swam with him to the door of the cave and waved at his friend as he left. He turned to Keith once he could no longer see Hunk. He caught the sad look that Keith had before Keith could school his face.

Lance thought  _ Does he hate the idea of living with me that much? _

Keith thought  _ I want him to watch me like that when I leave.  I want him to miss me, too.  _

Lance swam over to Keith and held up one of his communication rocks that said, “Sorry.” on it. 

Keith, confused, asked, “What are you sorry for?”

Lance waved his arm around indicating their cave.

Keith said, “It’s okay.  It was a good way for me to get away from Shiro.  We can stay roommates until you find someone to really wear your necklace for.” 

_ I don’t want anyone else but you.  I will literally die without you.  _

Lance touched the necklace at his throat but couldn’t say all the words that were floating around in his head. 

Keith said, “I wish you could talk to me. I feel like you have more to say that you can convey with those rocks.”

Lance nodded his head and then shrugged. 

_ What can I do? Learn to write I love you in mer and write it in the sand? He already hates me and all that will do is push him away more.  _

For a moment all they did was look at each other.  Neither had any idea of what to say or do. 

Keith said, “Well, this is awkward.”

Lance smiled and nodded. 

Keith looked at their empty dining area and said, “Tomorrow we should go look for a rock for a table so we will have somewhere to eat.  It would take too long to do today before my shift.”

Lance nodded. 

Keith asked, “Are you going to be alright while I am gone?”

Lance pointed to the seaweed they had collected. 

Keith said, “Oh, right.  You are going to make bedding for trade.”

Lance nodded.  

Keith said, “You know I can support us.  You don’t have to do that if you don’t want to.”

Lance gave Keith a look that said, “I want to help.”

Keith laughed and said, “Okay. okay. I get it.  You want to help.”

Lance nodded. 

Keith said, “Is it okay if I put my stuff away?”

Lance nodded.  He sat on the chair ledge in the cave and watched Keith put away his few personal items. 

_ Maybe I can weave some cushions for this ledge.  It is kind of hard to sit on.  _

Lance wiggled in discomfort. He did, however, enjoy seeing the things that were important to Keith.  When he was finished, he sat on the bench next to Lance. 

He said, “I’ll be home as soon as my shift is over, okay?”

Lance nodded.

Keith continued, “And I will bring us something to eat so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Lance nodded again.  Lance smiled and gave Keith a look that said, “I’ll be okay.”

Keith let out a shaky breath and then he heard the chimes.  

Keith said, “Hear those?”

Lance nodded.

Keith said, “That means it is time for the afternoon shift to start so I have to go to work.”

Lance nodded, but looked a little sad.

Keith joked, “Ah, are you actually going to miss me.”

He was surprise when Lance nodded emphatically yes. 

_ Of course I am going to miss you, you idiot. I wish I could just tell you how much.  _

Keith looked surprised.

_ He is. . . I don’t know what to say.  I need to go to work. I’ll figure out what this means later.  _

Keith started to leave the ledge, but he felt a hand on his cheek.  He turned to ask Lance a question but was instead met with Lance’s lips on his instead. Keith’s head went fuzzy and he stopped breathing for a moment. Lance broke the soft kiss and turned bright red as he looked away from Keith. 

Keith said, “Ah, . . . I have to . . . goodbye.”

Keith picked up his work gear and swam rapidly out of the cave.

Lance thought  _ I hope that wasn’t too much.  I just wanted to so badly.  _

Keith, on his way to work, thought  _ he kissed me.  He kissed me when no one was looking. He kissed me like he meant it.  Maybe he does like me. Maybe I have a real chance after all. He did become a mer because of me.  _

He looked back to see Lance watching him leave from the cave like he had done with Hunk.  

_ Maybe he really will miss me while I am gone.  _

The thought put a smile on Keith’s face and he smiled all the way into work. 

He was still smiling when he checked in with Shiro for his shift. 

Shiro thought  _ Huh, that’s new.  Usually he is grumpy when he has to come into work. Wonder what happened to make him so happy?  Maybe what he has with Lance is real after all.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come hang out with me on [tumblr ](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/auronevardell)


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